Awesome story, Ed. I never fully got into all the Zappa albums, but have a couple, right next to my Warren Zevon. Bet you can't guess what my favorite song from Zevon is?!?
If you are real cool about the situation, amazing things can happen to you in the Hollywood area.
One time, about 15 years ago, I was with 2 of my buds and we were going up and down the street checking things out. In one store my friend was standing across a round clothes rack from this really pretty girl. She's checking him out, and he hardly noticed her. I walk up to him and tell him that she is checking him out. She then walks over and asks us three to walk with her down the street. I know who she is but my friend has no clue. After a few more shops she thanks us for walking with her, then explains, to the shock of my friend that she is Paula Abdul and she wanted young, strong men to walk with her so noone would bother her (this is when she hit it big with her first album). My friend stammered out, "Do you have a business card?". We all laughed, but she did have one for her agent and put a note on it to call anytime and mention the shopping trip.